January transfer window: near misses

And so the January transfer window has come and gone with little of the excitement that lit up the cold winter months last time round.

Far from the excitement provided thanks to late moves by Andy Carroll, Fernando Torres, Darren Bent and Luis Suarez last year, football fans were forced to feed off scraps as Bobby Zamora’s £4 million switch to QPR proved to be the highlight.

The window is littered with tittle-tattle and hear-say, but were there any moves that came close to lighting up an otherwise dull window, only to fall at the last hurdle?

Tottenham - Milos Krasic

A rumour that developed slowly over the course of the day as Steven Pienaar’s move to Everton gradually became a reality, Milos Krasic’s move to Tottenham almost came to fruition before stumbling at the very end.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was keen on bringing in cover on the right wing for Aaron Lennon and Krasic, whom Redknapp tried to sign before he opted to join Juventus, was deemed the man for the job.

Sadly, however it wasn’t to be as money proved to be the problem. Redknapp takes up the story: “I was going to take Krasic on loan. I was interested in buying him a year ago too but he was expensive - £15m,” he told Sky Sports.

“I wanted him on loan this time but he didn't want to come and wanted a permanent deal but we didn't have the money.”

Liverpool – Jermain Defoe

While rumours were swirling round of Darren Bent’s imminent arrival on Merseyside it was Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe’s potential move to Liverpool that courted the most interest on deadline day.

Defoe’s absence from Tottenham’s squad to play Wigan on Tuesday evening further added fuel to the flames, while his failure to secure regular football at White Hart Lane and Liverpool’s need to more attacking options made it the perfect fit.

Interestingly, Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp’s agent Phil Smith didn’t deny an approach from Liverpool when asked about the move, instead simply insisting he would never sell Defoe, meaning this rumour could well have had some substance to it.

Everton – Adam Johnson

Sadly for Manchester City fans it wasn’t a case of them being close to bringing a player in but letting a player go on deadline day.

City were strangely subdued on the final day as January as manager Roberto Mancini was limited to bringing in David Pizarro on loan from Roma, while plenty of players were linked and indeed completed moves away from the Etihad Stadium.

Most intriguingly of all was Adam Johnson’s rumoured switch to Everton . The winger has been left frustrated over his lack of first team football this season while his dedication has been questioned by Mancini in the past, and the Mirror were quick to report the Toffee’s interest in taking him on loan.

The deal for Steven Pienaar seemingly put paid to that idea so whether the move would have come to fruition remains to be seen, but a loan deal certainly wouldn’t have been out of the question.

Tottenham – Hugo Rodallega

If a few things had gone their way, Tottenham would have been one of the busier sides in January. As it turned out, the sum total of their efforts amounted to the singings of Ryan Nelsen and Louis Saha, but it could have been very different.

There were strong rumours all day long that Tottenham could make a move for Hugo Rodallega having gone up against his current side, Wigan, on Tuesday night.

Latics chairman Dave Whelan admitted he was bracing himself for a late bid from Spurs that never materialized after they chose to keep their powder dry until the summer, instead bringing Saha in as cover on a short-term deal.

A.C Milan - Carlos Tevez

Another near miss for a City player edging near the exit at the Etihad Stadium, the Carlos Tevez transfer saga is matched only by Cesc Fabregas’s drawn-out switch to Barcelona for new levels of tedium.

It was with deafening enthusiasm that Sky Sports News announced that A.C Milan had launched a late raid to trying and salvage the deal that would take Carlos Tevez to Milan and end months upon months of speculation.

Sadly, although an agreement with the player had been reached over personal terms City simply would not budge over their valuation of the player nor would they agree to a loan move, meaning Tevez remains in purgatory and facing more time away from football.

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